Flag in Exile
Flag in Exile is the fifth book of David Weber's series of novels and short stories chronicling the adventures of Honor Harrington. It was first published in late 1995. Timeframe: c. 1906 – August 1907 PD Cover Summary :Hounded into retirement and disgrace by political enemies, cut to the heart by the murder of the man she loved, and bereft of confidence in herself and her abilities, Captain Honor Harrington has retreated to the planet Grayson to take up her role as Steadholder while she tries to heal her bitter wounds. :But the People's Republic of Haven is rising from defeat to threaten Grayson anew, and the newborn Grayson Navy needs her experience desperately. It's a call Honor cannot refuse, yet even as she once more accepts the duty whose challenges she fears she can no longer meet, powerful men who hate and fear the changes she's brought to their world are determined to reverse them. They have a plan ... and for it to succeed Honor Harrington must die. :Two irresistible forces are rushing together to crush Grayson between them, and only one woman uncertain of her capabilities, weary unto death, and marked for murder-stands between her adopted planet and its devastation. Plot After the scandal caused by her killing Pavel Young in a duel, Honor Harrington retreats to Grayson until things settle down on Manticore. She intends to oversee the development of her Steading, and overcome the death of her lover, Paul Tankersley. Honor struggles with the survivor's guilt her many battles have left her with, but soon finds that she cannot afford to dwell on her emotions. With the war between Manticore and Haven still raging, the fast-expanding but still inexperienced Grayson Space Navy needs someone to put it in fighting shape. Honor is given the rank of Admiral in the GSN and command of a superdreadnought squadron. She conducts her squadron and the rest of her adoptive nation's fleet through several battle exercises. Meanwhile, Haven stages a new operation, capturing two planets deep in Manticoran Alliance territory. A Manticoran task force and half the Grayson Navy leave to liberate these planets, but Haven was banking on this and now sends another task force to destroy the orbital infrastructure in the Yeltsin's Star System and arm Masada with modern weapons. The events surrounding Honor's last adventure on Grayson have caused political turmoil on the reactionary planet. Even though she has the support of Protector Benjamin IX and his government, as well respect and gratitude of the people of Grayson, several of her fellow Steadholders refuse to accept her presence and Benjamin's reforms. When public protests fail to achieve the desired results, they resort to terrorism, sabotaging a crystoplast dome which is being built and financed by Honor's Grayson Sky Domes. The dome collapses mid-construction and kills dozens of people, including young children, in the Winston Mueller Middle School beneath it. Believing the incident to be a result of Sky Domes and Honor's negligence and greed, an outraged Grayson public turns against Honor. When it appears that the government discovered their conspiracy, they attempt to assassinate Honor, but she survives. However, Reverend Julius Hanks, the spiritual leader of the Church of Humanity Unchained ends up giving his own life to save Honor, causing the surviving assassin to confess all his sins out of guilt and fear for his immortal soul. Eventually the whole conspiracy is revealed in front of the Conclave of Steadholders, and the lead conspirator Steadholder Burdette is exposed. Burdette admits to his crimes, but demands the traditional trial by combat in a sword-fighting duel against Honor as the Protector's champion. Despite Honor injuries and fatigue, and Burdette's far greater experience, she kills him in two strokes. Shortly thereafter, the Havenite task force under the command of Vice Admiral Alexander Thurston arrives to destroy Grayson's orbital infrastructure. Wrongly believing that Honor's superdreadnoughts have all left the system, the Havenites are thoroughly defeated by Admiral Harrington and the ships under her command in the Fourth Battle of Yeltsin's Star. After hearing of the victory, Steadholder Mueller, the only undetected member of the conspirators, urges the Conclave to reimburse Harrington and her company for all legal costs stemming from the panic surrounding the collapsed dome, and petitions the Protector to append the Crossed Swords to her Star of Grayson, an honor only given once before, to Isaiah Mackenzie, the commanding general of Benjamin the Great in the Civil War. The Conclave unanimously agrees. References Characters Hamish Alexander | Frederick Bennington | Mercedes Brigham | Thomas Caparelli | Warner Caslet | Shannon Foraker | Patricia Givens | Frederick Goldstein | Adam Gerrick | Jordan | Julius Hanks | Honor Harrington | Sarah Hereux | Hewlett | Hill | Jake Howell | Abraham Jackson | Janakowski | Justman | Andrew LaFollet | Miranda LaFollet | James MacGuiness | Isaiah Mackenzie | Stewart Matthews | Wesley Matthews | Benjamin the Great | Benjamin Mayhew IX | Bernard Mayhew III | Adam Montague | Samuel Mueller | Nimitz | O'Brien | Rob S. Pierre | Pete Ryan | Paul Tankersley | Alexander Thurston | Eric Tobin | Trailman | Bernard Yanakov | Pavel Young | Alfredo Yu Starships * [[PNS Conquérant|PNS Conquérant]] * [[PNS De Conde|PNS De Conde]] * [[PNS Saracen|PNS Saracen]] * [[PNS Theban Warrior|PNS Theban Warrior]] * [[PNS Vindicator|PNS Vindicator]] * [[HMS King Michael (superdreadnought)|HMS King Michael]] * [[HMS Madrigal|HMS Madrigal]] * [[GNS Raoul Courvosier (battlecruiser)|GNS Raoul Courvosier]] * [[GNS Terrible|GNS Terrible]] * [[HMS Thunderer (superdreadnought)|HMS Thunderer]] * [[HMS Queen Caitrin|HMS Queen Caitrin]] Stations Planets * Earth * Indus * Manticore * Masada * Grayson Nations * Republic of Candor * Protectorate of Grayson * People's Republic of Haven * Star Kingdom of Manticore Other AR-7(b) | The Book of the New Way | Burdette House | Candor System | President of the Republic of Candor | Committee of Public Safety | Copper Walls Battalion | golf | Goshen Sea | Grayson Space Navy | Harrington Cathedral | Harrington City | Harrington City Police | Harrington House | Harrington Steadholder's Guard | Harrington Steading | High Admiral | High Court (Grayson) | Home Fleet (Manticore) | Operation Jericho | King's College | missile pod | Mithra System | Mueller Steading | Nightingale System | Protector | Royal Manticoran Navy | Sphinx Forestry Service | Sphinxian chipmunk | Star of Grayson | Sun-Yat System | Tester | Time of the Five Keys | Trevor's Star System | Winston Mueller Middle School | Yeltsin's Star System External links * [http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/01-HonorverseCD/HonorverseCD/Flag%20in%20Exile/index.htm Flag in Exile] in the Baen Free Library * ''Flag in Exile'' on Wikipedia Category:Honorverse material